1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to procedures for handling and transporting medical waste having needles or other sharp objects capable of puncturing an attendant's skin, or otherwise producing injury or illness. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a barrier apparatus for protectively isolating a medical waste container while the container is transported by an attendant.
2. Description of the Related Art
Certain medical waste (i.e. needles and other sharp objects referred to in the industry as "sharps") have been associated with the transmission of infection or injury through puncture or cut wounds. Moreover, the fear of acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome has drawn national attention to medical waste handling practices. Hospitals in the United States generate about 800 million pounds of waste each year, about 15% of which is considered to be infectious waste by the EPA's definition. Other sources of infectious waste include physicians offices, dentists offices, outpatient clinics, nursing homes, ambulatory surgery centers, dialysis centers and blood banks.
The procedures for disposing of contaminated needles and other sharps capable of producing injury or illness include the use of rigid puncture-proof containers, cardboard containers, needle clippers or a combination of these. Nearly all hospitals have a written infectious waste management policy, and nearly all waste handlers receive formal training in proper handling procedures, including the potential health and safety hazards. Typical handling procedures include the use of proper barrier clothing such as gowns and puncture-resistant rubber gloves. Employees are typically warned to hold waste containers away from their body to avoid injury from protruding sharps. Often employees accidentally disregard these procedures by wearing inappropriate clothing or more typically, in the case of needle-stick injuries, by neglecting to hold containers away from their body. Since some medical waste containers can be rather large and cumbersome to carry, it is understandable how a waste handler would come to press the container against his body.
There are considerable costs associated with the manufacture of medical waste containers. Moreover, there are significant costs in developing and promulgating appropriate waste handling procedures. To control these costs, hospitals typically separate regular medical waste from infectious waste. Medical waste is typically placed in conventional cardboard containers, while infectious waste, including discarded needles and syringes, are placed in specially marked containers which warn of the hazardous nature of the content. However, employees must still exercise caution when handling regular medical waste containers because infectious sharps may accidently be placed into these containers. This creates a hazard to employees who handle cardboard medical waste containers. So, while a cost savings may be realized by separating medical waste from infectious waste and using lightweight, less expensive cardboard containers for medical waste, a potential hazard still exists.
Needle clippers provide a way to control the cost of medical waste containers while protecting employees from infection due to protruding sharps. It was popular to use needle clippers in the early 1980s, but these devices are no longer widely used because many professional organizations and agencies have recommended that clipping or cutting of needles not be practiced. The reasons for recommending against clipping include the potential for aerosolization of microorganisms during the clipping process, and the clipping process itself being an unnecessary, extra operation that could result in needle stick injuries.
Since the hazards associated with contaminated sharps being carried in medical waste containers remain common, it would be desirable to provide a cost-effective way to transport medical waste without increasing the cost of the containers or the cost of waste handling procedures.